Many of my best Christmas memories involve music. Some years ago I was a member of a community choir, and what I remember most about that experience was our performance of Vivaldi's 'Gloria' in our Christmas concert. It was one of those moments when the sheer beauty of the music and the joy expressed in it moved me to the point of tears. Another such moment occurred one Christmas when I took part in a mass choir made up of church choirs from all over the city, and we sang the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. I'd heard it before countless times, of course, but to actually be singing it... it's indescribable. Over the years there have been many concerts and cantatas, each with their own memories, but also many memories of family gatherings... times when we would stand around the piano singing carols in the glow of the Christmas tree. With as many nephews and nieces as I've got running around now, there's a lot less time for family sing-a-longs, but they still occur, if somewhat louder and a bit more discordant; usually whoever's playing the piano has a toddler gleefully accompanying them on the bass keys.
Hmm... looking back over this post, I think I'm rambling a bit- I've certainly strayed from my original point. Which was (in case I wasn't obvious enough) that I love Christmas and its music. Having meandered all around that point, I think I'll close now with 'Labor of Love', written by Andrew Peterson.